Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale reveal what they'll be doing to Pittsburgh for The Dark Knight Rises. Steven Moffat clarifies Doctor Who's stance on Hitler. HBO is committed to True Blood and Game of Thrones. Plus Total Recall set photos!

Spoilers from here on out!

Top image from Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale met with the Pittsburgh media before the beginning of filming in the city. Nolan confirmed that they will be simulating snowfall to show Gotham City in winter, that Heinz Field would be used for a football game, and that they would be shooting scenes in Carnegie Mellon University. Bale promised there would be "fighting in the streets, a great deal." [Pittsburgh Business Times]

Man of Steel

Route 56 in Sugar Grove, Illinois will reportedly be partially shut down from August 7 to 10 for filming. [Before the Trailer]

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In other filming news, the US 52 bridge over the Fox River in Illinois's La Salle County will also be closed for three days. [MyWebTimes]

Thor 2

"I'm really disappointed. Ken built that character, and everything I know about the Thor world, I learned while shoulder-to-shoulder with Ken. I learned so much from him... As long as he's happy, that's the thing. I learned so much from Ken while we built [the first film], so at least I had that time with someone like that. The start of anything creative is the most important period in a way. That's when the most can go wrong, and Ken made sure we got it right."

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Nicolas Cage again says the movie is in no way a sequel to the first Ghost Rider, and co-director Brian Taylor explains:

We didn't really consider the first movie, at all, in making this. You can't really. We just wanted to make a great movie, on its own terms. The first movie, we think, is really valid. It's like a Walt Disney take on the character, which is totally cool. This version, we wanted to give people what we think comic book fans really want to see with Ghost Rider. It is darker and more intense. He is from a nightmare. He will scare the hell out of you. He's not a superhero that wears tights and does nice things. He is more of a villain than he is a hero. He's a dark entity. He sucks out your soul. That's his superpower. We wanted to really embrace that and give people that vision of Ghost Rider that we always wanted to see.

There's also this quote from Cage, which sums up pretty much everything I love about the man:

An interesting story is that, when I was trying to think with Brian [Taylor] and with Mark [Neveldine] about how the Ghost Rider would move, because they both really wanted me to play Ghost Rider in this, I was thinking about trying to find something really weird, which would be like levitating in circles. We called it "the compass" together, to mess with how he would attack his enemies. And then, I looked up in the dictionary, and the word weird literally means "to turn around," so I thought that was an interesting thing. But, it was like trying to design a body language from another dimension. We worked in a room together and looked at different animals, like cobras and insects, and tried to find ways of moving that would hopefully scare you and entertain you.

There's plenty more at the link, including why Nicolas Cage thinks the original Ghost Rider is like being sent to the principal's office. [Collider]

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Here are some higher quality versions of the previously released promo photos. [Empire]

Pacific Rim

Rob Kazinsky, who previously appeared on the long-running British soap EastEnders and was going to play a dwarf in The Hobbit before dropping out, has reportedly been cast as a resistance fighter in Guillermo del Toro's homage to the kaiju genre. The reliably unnerving Willem Dafoe is also reportedly in talks, specifically to play "a rogue scientist with expertise on alien creatures." The report also mentions the story "is set in 2025, the 12th year of a war against alien creatures who reside in the middle of the Pacific Ocean." [Variety]

Total Recall

Here are a bunch more set photos, spotlighting Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, and the futuristic police. [blogTO]

In Time

Here are three more posters for Gattaca director Andrew Niccol's immortality thriller. [FirstShowing.net]

R.I.P.D.

Kevin Bacon is reportedly in final negotiations to play the villain in the zombie cop movie starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges. The report doesn't specify precisely which baddie he'll play, but it's possible that he's the guy responsible for murdering Reynolds's cop and turning him into the undead in the first place. [Variety]

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

The movie's release date has shifted slightly, from December 16 to December 21, 2011. [/Film]

Stoker

Australian actress Jacki Weaver, who received an Oscar nomination for her work in last year's Animal Kingdom, has reportedly joined Oldboy director Park Chan-wook's latest, which may or may not be about a vampire. The cast already includes Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Goode. [Deadline]

Breaking Dawn: Part I

Doctor Who

Steven Moffat promises that "Let's Kill Hitler" isn't going to take a pro-Fuehrer stance, just on the off-chance you thought that was a possibility:

"I think we can unequivocally say we're against Hitler. I think the worst thing you can do to that awful man is take the mickey out of him on Doctor Who. Don't worry, we're not going to save Hitler."

Moffat also said he plans to continue stretching the show's format:

"The only way you can keep the show alive is to make changes. The trouble with a series as it gets older it can feel like a tradition. And tradition is the enemy of suspense. It's about keeping it lively and suspenseful … The story of the week still takes center stage. What we have is a more extreme version of what we've always had. All the stories will end and satisfyingly."

Now, don't read anything into this quote, as it is just Matt Smith having some fun imagining the possibilities of a multi-Doctor 50th anniversary special, nothing more concrete than that...but still, it's too awesome not to share:

There hasn't been any official talk about it yet. That's still over a year away. But I'd love for it to happen. How amazing would it be to see Tom Baker?! Can you imagine just seeing him back in the scarf, man? That would be amazing! So cool! And Paul McGann is a great actor, man, and a great Doctor. I say bring back Chris and Dave, too! How many Doctors can we get into one story?! Imagine if there were five or six of us in one ep and we could all just look at each other and judge each other.

Torchwood: Miracle Day

Here's a sneak peek at tonight's episode, "Escape to LA."

And here are some dialogue teasers:

"They are everywhere. They are always. They are no one. They have been waiting for such a long time."
» "How wonderful it is to meet someone who is mortal..."
» "My name's John Smith."
» "You're very special to them Jack, they tell me that. But I hear rumours of miracles yet to come."
» "What did you give them so long ago?"
» "You're the Doctor."

You know, I suspect that last capitalization might be a tad misleading. Anyway, there are more at the link. [Cultbox]

Eve Myles teases this about Gwen's story, perhaps indicating the character has something in her future that rivals what Jack had to do in Children of Earth:

Game of Thrones

HBO co-president Richard Plepler and programming president Michael Lombardo have promised they have no plans to cancel the show before its time:

Plepler: "We told [author George R.R. Martin] we'd go as long as he keeps writing."Lombardo: "I hope it lasts for 20 years. I promise you we won't stop it before it's ready to stop … There's a great relationship fans have with the show and we appreciate that. We've never seen people get so excited about casting [decisions]."

True Blood

Alan Ball has confirmed that he's signed on for a fifth season, making the show's renewal a virtual certainty. [EW]

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From the same event, Ball revealed that the fifth season will reveal the origins of one of the vampires. Also, Ball offered this insight on the whole creepy baby storyline:

"I had no idea where that was going to go [when we first showed the doll]. And now the creepy baby doll has found its way to creepy baby. They're teamed up now. There's something going on between those two, I can tell you that."

The Walking Dead

The season two premiere will reportedly be called "Miles Behind Us." [SpoilerTV]

AMC has released this statement clarifying just what's going on with the show:

The Walking Dead's Glen Mazzara, writer and executive producer, is expanding his responsibilities to assume the role of showrunner. AMC is grateful to executive producer, writer and pilot director Frank Darabont whose contributions to the success of The Walking Dead are innumerable. We continue to discuss his ongoing role with the series. Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead graphic novels, executive producer and writer on the series, will remain in this role and will continue to steward the brand. Gale Anne Hurd will remain in her role as executive producer. The production continues on schedule for an Oct. 16 premiere.